Diff paint

[57_BN4]

Hi Guys,

Last night I finished cleaning 53 years of crud off the diff housing and noticed a couple of curiosities underneath the black paint. A red splodge on top in the centre and a yellow splodge on the left by where the numbers are bashed in. These paint marks were definitely under the black paint as they have left less-rusty patches on the bare steel.

I'm guessing they assembled the entire axle complete with the brake lines and diff oil and then hosed it all over with black paint without any further prep. Interestingly too the housing is painted black inside but not on the head mounting flange at all. Anyone else got any info?

Also, has anyone found a good black spray-can paint similar to the original? I test painted a couple of parts in VHT engine enamel and it looks good but chips off easily and will not last.

Cheers,
Andy.

 

[Johnny]

Hi Andy, I might be wrong here but I've found similar markings on both my Healey's. The yellow one's and maybe even red were used to mark that the items have been inspected or have been filled with fluid. Sometimes you can find an initial scrawled also. I found one under the front shroud on top of the dash. I'm guessing it's to show that the adhesive, or whatever sealant was used, to seal the aluminum shroud onto the support was added.

 

[Randy Forbes]

The VHT paint will be less likely to chip off using thinner coats.

Surface prep is paramount to good adhesion.